Steve Bannon (Image: AP/Alex Brandon, File)

And what Trump’s gonna do, is just declare victory. Right? He’s gonna declare victory. But that doesn’t mean he’s a winner. [Bannon chuckles] He’s just gonna say he’s a winner.

Two months before the January 6 US Capitol riots, Donald Trump’s one-time trusted adviser Steve Bannon predicted what the then president would do if he lost the election. US investigative news outlet Mother Jones published excerpts of the nearly hour-long meeting that took place on October 31, 2020, between Bannon and a group of associates.

Here’s a taste of what was in the tape:

Excerpt 1:

“The Democrats — more of our people vote early that count. Theirs voted mail. And so they’re gonna have a natural disadvantage and Trump’s gonna take advantage of it — that’s our strategy. He’s gonna declare himself a winner. So when you wake up Wednesday morning, it’s gonna be a firestorm. You’re going to have Antifa crazy, the media crazy, the courts are crazy. And Trump’s gonna be sitting there mocking, tweeting shit out, ‘You lose. [Hoots of laughter from Bannon’s captive audience] I’m the winner. I’m the king.’

“And he’ll be all over it. He’ll be, he’ll be going, ‘Where’s Hunter? Is Hunter on a crack pipe?’ I mean, no, he’ll be — because then it doesn’t matter. Remember, here’s the thing. After then, Trump never has to go to a voter again. He’s going to fire Wray the FBI director [Bannon, clearly overexcited, bumbles something unintelligible]. He’s going to say, ‘Fuck you. How about that?’

[Bannon’s audience enjoys this, again erupting into laughter]

“Because he’s, he’s never going to — he’s, he’s done his last election. Oh, he’s going to be off the chain, he’s gonna be crazy.”

Excerpt 2:

“Also, also, if Trump, if Trump is losing by 10 or 11 o’clock at night, it’s going to be even crazier. [Someone chimes in with their two cents] No, because he’s gonna sit right there and say, ‘They stole it. [General agreement from the room] I’m directing the attorney-general to shut down all ballot places in all 50 states.’ [Bannon chuckles in disbelief] It’s gonna be, no, he’s not going out easy. If Trump — if Biden is winning, Trump is going to do some crazy shit.”

And we all know how that ended.